Episode 33: Uttarakhand Glacier Burst

In this episode of the podcast, I have talked about “Uttarakhand glacier burst” which occurred on Sunday 7th February 2021.

Additional Info:
Two persons were rescued while 168 are still missing following the glacier burst in Chamoli, District Magistrate Swati Bhadoriya on Friday said. Earlier on Thursday, the rescue operation was temporarily halted following a rise in the level of water in the Rishiganga River. Around 30 people are feared trapped inside the tunnel. The Chamoli Police also informed that the water level in the Rishiganga is rising and the people living in nearby areas are being alerted. The police have requested people to be on alert and not to panic. A glacier broke in the Tapovan-Reni area of Chamoli District of Uttarakhand on Sunday, which led to massive flooding in Dhauliganga and Alaknanda rivers and damaged houses and the nearby Rishiganga power project. Many aerial recces have been done. An 8-member SDRF team sent today on foot to assess the situation. Further action to be taken after evaluation. A team of Garhwal scouts is at standby near the Tapovan Project Site. Apart from that an engineering team and a medical team are present at the site. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat on February 7 had announced an ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh each to the kin of those who lost their lives. The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel are distributing rations and essential items in Suki, Lata and Bhalgaun villages that were cut off due to a flash flood in Dhauli Ganga.
A glacier broke in the Tapovan-Reni area of Chamoli District of Uttarakhand on Sunday, which led to massive flooding in Dhauliganga and Alaknanda rivers and damaged houses and the nearby Rishiganga power project. An editorial in the Nepali Times says that the flood is “almost identical” to Nepal’s Seti River flash flood of 2012, which killed nearly 80 people. The article warns that “it is clear that the countries that share the Himalaya from Afghanistan to Burma have to be prepared for more frequent disasters of this type. Many villages were earlier evacuated as authorities emptied two dams farther down the river to stop the floodwaters from reaching towns of Haridwar and Rishikesh. Two C-130J Super Hercules with 3 teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been deployed in the rescue mission. According to the director-general of the NDRF, the rescue efforts could take up to 2 days. Emergency crews managed to rescue 16 workers who had been trapped inside a tunnel. Another 35 to 40 workers are thought to be trapped in a second tunnel. At the Tapovan Vishnugad Hydropower Project site which is being built by the NTPC 5 km (3.1 mi) downstream, rescuers have been attempting to cave their way into a tunnel to rescue at least 30 workers who were said to be trapped.

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